


Isn't It a Lovely Day?

by Rehfan



Category: War Horse (2011)
Genre: Blow Jobs, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Repressed, Explicit Sexual Content, First Kiss, French Kissing, Frottage, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Nipple Play, Sexual Repression, Smut, Taboo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-11
Updated: 2012-09-15
Packaged: 2017-11-14 00:18:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/509315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rehfan/pseuds/Rehfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain James (Jim) Nicholls and Major Jamie Stewart are caught in the rain during a ride before the attack on the German camp. Surely seeking refuge in an old barn is common sense, right? And so is taking off their rain-soaked uniforms...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Race to the Barn

**Author's Note:**

> Title based on the Irving Berlin classic song: "Isn't It a Lovely Day (to Be Caught in the Rain)?"
> 
> And it has a gifset now! WHOOT!  
> See it here: http://gaypornismydivision.tumblr.com/post/37757244375
> 
> And LOTS of thanks to mrvcodwjohnlocked for it!

Training was going well. The men were battle-ready for the charge tomorrow against the Hun camp. Captain Jim Nicholls and Major Jamie Stewart had decided to take Joey and Topthorn along the edge of the camp and out toward the old abandoned barn and back. It was a good four hour ride, but they had fresh mounts, a small pack lunch, good tobacco, and pleasant conversation. It was a respite well-deserved before the fighting began in earnest on the ‘morrow. The only thing they weren’t prepared for was the turn in the weather.

They were a good mile from the barn when the heavens opened. They looked at each other with a glint in their eye, their senses of competition sparked. Each man dug his heels into his mount and the race was on.

The path through the wood to the barn was wide enough for two horses, but only just. Topthorn was much larger than Joey and had a longer stride, but Joey was lighter and quicker. Joey edged out Topthorn just at a quarter of a mile before they reached the barn. Nicholls pulled up sharply on the reins and Joey came to a triumphant halt just before the doors.

“I cannot believe how quick that little horse is,” cried Major Stewart over the sound of the torrential downpour that was slowly soaking through their woolen uniforms.

“He is a good horse,” said Nicholls, panting a bit, “I knew it the moment I laid eyes on him.”

“Let’s get them inside,” said the major, “This storm is going to get worse before it gets better, I think.”

They opened up the ancient doors with some difficulty as the hinges had rusted almost to the point of immobility. Topthorn and Joey were led inside and the two officers were grateful that, despite appearances, the barn did seem to have a fairly solid roof; it wasn’t warm in the barn, but it was dry.

Both men unsaddled their mounts and released them into a rather large paddock area with a gate. A lantern provided some light, but heat was the issue. They were soaked to the skin and had to get out of their wet togs before they both caught their death.

Nicholls went up to the hay loft to see if there were any more lanterns or perhaps some old hay to burn for a small fire.

“Major, sir?” Nicholls called down.

“Yes,” said the major, “What is it?”

“I’ve found something that may interest you,” said Nicholls warily.

“What is it?” said Stewart as he climbed up to the loft. Upon gaining purchase to the loft level, Stewart let out an oath in surprise.

Fresh hay was in neat bales at the back of the loft along with some old tin rations and a half of a bottle of whiskey.

“I think the men may have been taking a liberty,” said Nicholls.

“More than a damn liberty,” said Stewart, “Why I’ll give every one of them—“

“What are you going to give to them, sir?” said Nicholls, not wishing to be insubordinate, but attempting to reason with the angry major. “They’re all good and true to a man. And they’re all heading into a battle tomorrow morning. A battle some of them may not survive. Punish them, of course. Just not today. They’ve enough on their minds, I think.” After a pause, he added softly: “I know I have.”

Sobered by Nicholls’s reasoning, the major finished mounting the stairs to the loft. “Well,” said he, “There’s nothing for it then. We’ll get the horses sorted and… well… have a pull on that whiskey, I think.”

“Excellent suggestion, sir,” said Nicholls with a smile and he set about helping his superior officer drag a few bales of hay from the loft.


	2. Rainstorm and Whiskey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussions of fear and death plus whiskey...

As they shifted things about, the storm grew worse. Lightning lit up the sky and the thunder that followed shook the barn.

“Great God,” whispered Nicholls. He never did like lightning storms.

They lowered the last of the bales to the horses, found some useful brushes and got the horses settled and comfortable. It was hard work and the soaked woolen uniforms didn’t help. The overcoats were the first things shed and laid over a wagon that had a broken wheel. Their ties and hats were laid next to them. Both men rolled up their sleeves and unbuttoned their collars in order to shift the bales.

Once done, they were filthy and dusty with hay and still very cold. Nicholls mounted the ladder to the loft once more to get at the whiskey. Turning around, he spotted something unusual by the hay loft door. He walked along the loft to inspect the object, ducking under the supporting beams along the narrow walkway. Stewart watched from below with curiosity.

“Where are you going, man?” said the major.

“There’s something unusual here, sir,” said the captain.

“More unusual than tin rations and a bottle of whiskey? What have they got up there, a Frenchwoman?” said Stewart.

Nicholls smiled at this. Stewart had a dry wit and it came out at the most unexpected of times. Jim Nicholls really did like Major Stewart. He was a solid commander, if a little trigger-happy and drunk on the idea of being a soldier in the King’s army. He was a man a fellow could depend on when the going got rough, a good egg. Jim smiled down at him and said, “No, sir. We are not that fortunate.”

“Well, damn it,” said Major Stewart, “What is it then?”

Jim reached the front of the loft. Next to the door were a series of bricks, laying flat, edge to edge as to create a platform. Upon this flat surface and blackened with soot lay a wrought iron chandelier with no hanging baubles or candles to speak of. The chain for it was missing as well. It sat on the bricks in a pile of soot and ash. The men had been using the thing as a makeshift fireplace. Jim opened up the loft door and looked around in what little light the black sky would provide. Off in the corner lay a pile of kindling and other larger pieces of wood.

Those boys… those clever boys.

Jim went over and gathered up some of the kindling and a bit of dry hay. He placed it around and under the chandelier and reached in his pocket for his matches. He prayed to God they were dry.

Jim hadn’t realized how cold he was until that moment. His hands were shivering as he struck the match and lit the kindling. It went up a treat and he turned to see the major approaching him in the low firelight.

“The men thought of everything, did they?” said Stewart.

“Yes, sir,” said Nicholls, “It seems they did.”

“Found this behind some of the hay,” said Stewart and he produced a couple of thick horse blankets and the bottle of whiskey. Two more bales of hay to sit on and they were as comfortable as they could be considering the fact that they were trapped in an old barn by an unexpected violent thunderstorm. It was almost downright pleasant.

They took off their boots to dry their feet at the major’s suggestion. No sense in encouraging trenchfoot in the cavalry, he joked.

They sat in silence for a bit, eating the food they had brought, smoking the cigarettes they had rolled, and sharing the bottle of whiskey. The warmth from the fire was more welcome than either of them could say. The warmth provided by the whiskey was even more welcome and loosened their tongues. 

“I’m ashamed to admit it,” said Nicholls quietly, “but I’m frightened of death.”

Stewart looked at his companion with serious eyes. “No man is immune to that fear, Nicholls.”

“Yes, sir,” said Nicholls, “but how… how does one push it aside? How does one stamp it down?”

Stewart thought for a bit, taking another pull at the bottle. Finally he said, “You focus on the duty you have to perform. You think about your king, your country… all that is important to you as an Englishman. And then you go do what you were trained to do.”

“I know my duty, sir,” said Nicholls. “But one can’t help but dwell on the… uselessness of it all. And how truly small one feels.”

Major Stewart clasped a soothing hand to the back of Captain Nicholls’s neck and massaged slowly. Stewart and Nicholls both looked off into the storm. “I suppose it’s like feeling like a cog in a watch. If you don’t work anymore, the whole thing falls apart. Time stops,” said the major, “You feel small and insignificant, but you’re really not.”

“Only takes one bullet to kill an archduke and drive the whole world into madness, eh?” said Nicholls wistfully.

“Just so, Jim,” said the major.

Jim glanced at the major with something akin to shock. The major had always used either military titles or last names with his junior officers. Hearing his Christian name from the major was stunning.

The major shrugged and said, “Call me Jamie. There’s no one about. We’re not technically in the camp. We’re just two fellows having a rest and a think before going off to a battle.”

“Right then… Jamie,” said Jim hesitantly. A small smile crept across his face. This was nice. This was the first genuine camaraderie that the major had shown him. Perhaps it was the conversation’s serious tone that made him reach out to Jim in this way. No, Jim thought, more likely it was the whiskey.

“My brother died last month,” said Jamie, his hand still massaging Jim’s neck absently.

Jim was surprised at the non sequitur and said, “Good Lord, Maj-- erm… Jamie. I’m sorry.”

“My only brother,” continued Jamie, “He was in Ireland. Damnable business, Ireland. Regretable. Why can’t people just love their king? What is so wrong with being a patriot?”

“There’s nothing wrong with fighting for what you believe in,” said Jim, “I suspect that the Irish are doing just that.”

“My God, Jim!” said Jamie, recoiling from Jim’s side, “You can’t tell me that you sympathize with those bastards!” Jim was surprised at the loss of warmth that Jamie’s hand had provided the back of his neck. He liked the touch. He wanted it back.

“Not sympathize, per se,” said Jim diplomatically, “I just understand what it is to fight for what you believe in. I can see both sides of this. I don’t know that anyone is right or wrong.”

“Well…,” said Jamie, somewhat mollified. “All I know is that I’ve got a dead brother and the Irish killed him.”

There was nothing to be said to this. Jim wanted to sooth Jamie, to comfort him. He tentatively reached out his hand and massaged the back of Jamie’s neck the way Jamie had done to him. All Jim could think of to say was: “I’m so sorry, mate. So very sorry.”

Jim took the bottle from Jamie and had another pull. The warm liquid burned its way down and loosened a bit of the jangled nerves that had sprung up during the conversation. Jim looked at his superior officer and noticed a tear running down his otherwise stoic face. Impulsively, Jim put down the bottle and wiped the tear away with the back of his hand.

Jamie was startled out of his reverie. He jerked back a bit at the touch and caught Jim’s eyes in the firelight. They were so blue. Jesus God, were they blue.

They stared at each other, neither man daring to move. Slowly, Jim lowered his hands away from Jamie and placed them in his own lap. They didn’t lose eye contact, however.

“For what it’s worth,” said Jamie softly, “I don’t want to die either.”

Jim felt a tear come down his face and when Jamie reached out to wipe it away, he didn’t stop him.

“Jamie…” said Jim and they leaned in toward one another.

There was a moment’s hesitation when their faces were a hair’s breadth away from one another – but only for a moment. Their lips met gently. Warmth spread through Jim’s body at the touch. It felt so… immense, this moment. It was so significant.

For that moment in time, there was no war. There was no death or destruction. There were no bombs, no strafes. There was only the warmth of a kiss.

It was chaste, but filled with longing, gentle yet passionate. Jim closed his eyes and tilted his head, pressing in and deepening the kiss. Jamie let out a low moan, lost in the sensation of Jim’s warmth. His hands reached out and pulled Jim closer to him. He needed this. He needed companionship, understanding, empathy, sympathy, love. And it was all there in Jim’s blue eyes. Jamie never wanted to let go.


	3. The Warmth of the Whiskey

They barely noticed the crack of thunder above them as the kiss lingered. Their lips pulled apart achingly slowly and Jim realized that he had been holding onto Jamie’s hip the entire time.

Suddenly, gut-wrenching fear struck them both: they had actually kissed one another. What the devil do they do now?

“I.. I’m so sorry, Jim,” said Jamie, “I never meant… I only wanted to…”

“I know,” said Jim, “It’s alright. As you said, we’re alone here. No one around for miles.” He looked at his superior officer with sympathy tinged with nervousness. Another crack of lightning from directly overhead resulted in a peal of thunder that made the barn shake. It sounded like heaven was tearing itself apart. Both men jumped out of their skin at the sudden light and sound.

They caught one another’s eye and laughed at their own folly.

“Jim,” said Jamie, “do you think that… What I mean to say is: is it inappropriate for me… as your superior officer… to want… to do that again?” Jamie had needed some kind of human kindness for a while now. For all his bluster and bravado, he really was quite lonely here, so far from home. The foreign women one finds in this country were just so… foreign, too brazen for his taste. He needed a quiet soul. Someone a man could have a conversation with and hold closely.

And here sat before him was James Nicholls. A kind soul, dedicated soldier, an empathetic spirit, almost effeminate in his looks, but tough as nails when the going got rough. He was a good man. And a good friend. A man could trust a fellow like that with anything. Couldn’t he?

Both men knew the risk they were taking was immeasurable. Should they be discovered… well…

“I hate to think of what would happen if…” began Jim.

“No one should discover what transpires here,” said Jamie, nervously.

“But should they… discover, I mean?” said Jim. “We could be court-martialed.”

“Hung as buggerers, more like,” said Jamie glumly.

“But we haven’t—,“ said Jim, terrified at the prospect of shaming his family and losing his life in one fell swoop.

“No,” agreed Jamie, “we haven’t.” He looked openly at Jim. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. You are quite right in your concerns. My apologies.”

“No,” said Jim, “It’s alright. I understand why you’ve asked. I’m just sorry that it’s so much trouble for us if we’re discovered.” Here Jim looked imploringly into Jamie’s eyes. “I would never want to shame you. Even for the sake of a kiss and a bit of companionship.”

“Jim…” said Jamie. He was at a loss for words. On the battlefield and in his saddle, Major Jamie Stewart was the epitome of confidence and knowledge. However, human relations beyond military conflict were a puzzle to him. His personal experiences were few; his father had shoved a chambermaid into his rooms when he was sixteen. He did his best with her, but ultimately, he learned what he needed to from a local prossie in London when he was at Eton.

But that was just sex. This was different. There were real and honest emotions involved here. Jamie wasn’t good with emotions. He learned at a young age that emotions were signs of weakness in males; it made them lesser men. But here was the ultimate emotion: fear. Let it get a stranglehold on you and you were done for. And Jamie could see that Jim was afraid. If Jamie was honest with himself, he too was afraid. Man’s greatest fear: what lies beyond the veil of death… What he saw in Jamie’s eyes at that moment, and all during their kiss, alleviated that fear.

But how does one approach this? How does one connect with another human being on an emotional level through the participation in a socially and religiously forbidden act and come out the other side clean? How does one channel his emotions to completely convey that sense of grief for a life not yet lost, loss of a future not yet experienced, and fear of a death that hadn’t yet taken him?

Nothing in his life could have prepared him for this moment. He never suspected that he would have the chance to feel such fear. In this place, looking into the earnest sky blue eyes of his companion, Jamie Stewart wasn’t just a man out of his depths, the proverbial fish out of water; he was a fish in a treetop. He needed air.

Jamie stood a bit too quickly. The whiskey had done its job and he was weaving on his pins. Jim stood to help him, taking hold of Jamie’s forearms, and they wound up swaying together in an impromptu drunken dance. They laughed.

Jim noticed for the first time that Jamie had about two inches of height on him. “Taller than me to boot,” he said. “Faster on that damned pony and taller than me. It's simply not fair.”

“Sorry, sir,” said Jim, relapsing into military response. “Some things I can’t help.”

“Yes,” said Jamie softly, “I know what you mean.” Jamie couldn’t stop himself from flicking a glance to Jim’s mouth. He had such an angelic face and his mouth was perfect. Before he knew what was happening, Jim was kissing him.

Soft… warm… comforting… Jamie didn’t want the kiss to stop. He reached up and clasped the back of Jim’s neck gently, wrapping his other arm around the man’s waist. Tilting his head, he deepened the kiss, pressing further onto the captain’s mouth, searching for a refuge from all the death and destruction that lay all around them, not giving a hang about buggery or court-martials. He wanted to feel something that wasn’t the muck and filth of war. He wanted an escape.

Jim closed his eyes and tightly embraced Jamie, running his hands up and down the man’s back. His shirt was a bit wet at the top near the collar and Jim had a fleeting thought to remove it for him. The thought brought heat to his groin instantly and Jim groaned at the sensation. Jamie groaned back by way of response and both men could feel the other getting harder the longer they kissed.

It was a bizarre sensation, but completely welcome. So much better than preparing for death. This was the antithesis of that. In this kiss there was life, love, peace, and clarity. In war there was only death, hatred, chaos, and confusion. Both men had had their fill of all that war had to offer. They let their instincts tell them where to place their hands as each man’s searched for purchase on the other’s body. The kisses broke apart and came back together, each one more passionate than the one before. Rolling waves of heat flooded their senses and as their tongues touched for the very first time, they briefly looked into one another’s eyes for a sign of rejection. There was none.

They came together again, top lip to top lip, bottom to bottom and stared into one another’s gaze as they tenderly probed each other’s tongue with their own. The velvet heat, the slick wetness of it was almost beyond anything either of them imagined. They tilted their heads, still retaining eye contact as they each plunged their tongues into one another’s mouth. After a few brief seconds, both men surrendered to the sensation and they closed their eyes in unison, knowing full well that this was just the beginning of their time together.


	4. Peace to All Men

They were both panting for air and their hard cocks were making prominent tents in their jodhpurs. Jamie needed to be closer to Jim. He needed to feel Jim’s skin on his own. As for Jim, he wanted to taste every inch of his superior officer.

“You asked me a question earlier,” said Jim. “You asked if it was inappropriate of my superior officer to request a second kiss.”

Jamie blushed at this and said nothing. Jim continued: “As my superior officer, it would be entirely inappropriate to ask me such a thing.” Jamie looked at Jim, stunned. “But,” Jim amended, “as a fellow human being who is about to go into battle tomorrow for king and country, it is not only appropriate, it is a most welcome activity. I can’t think of a better man to be with in this moment, Jamie Stewart. You honor me, sir.”

Jamie pressed his forehead to Jim and let out a relieved sigh. “Come here,” said Jamie and he scooped a hand behind Jim’s head and kissed him briefly. Turning from Jim, James pulled out a pocketknife and began to saw through the twine that was wrapped around the bales of hay. “Cut the other one and spread out the hay a bit,” he said.

Jamie didn’t quite understand what was happening here, but he obeyed his superior’s command. As soon as both bales were spread, Jamie added more wood to the fire, and spread one of the two horse blankets on the hay. Jamie turned to Jim silently and looked at him with sad, sweet eyes. Jim suddenly realized what Jamie was asking him.

Jim smiled at Jamie in the most understanding way and began to remove his shirt. Button by button, the green material parted to reveal the undershirt underneath. “It is a bit damp at the collar,” he said, by way of a convenient excuse.

“Come to think of it, mine’s a bit damp as well,” said Jamie, catching on. “There are some nails in that beam. We could hang them there.”

They reached up to the beam and hung their shirts by the collars. They stood staring at one another a minute, savoring the moment.

Above them there was another loud crack of thunder and the horses whinnied.

The two men paid it all no attention whatsoever. They were in a world all their own. Jamie and Jim ached to touch one another, to keep each other warm, to trace trails of fire over each other’s bodies. Slowly they crept toward one another. Their hands interlocked and they shared another slow, soft, chaste kiss that spoke volumes.

“Thank you, Jamie,” said Jim.

“It is I who must thank you, James,” said Jamie. “It is you who honors me, now.”

They settled on the horse blanket, Jim resting on Jamie’s chest, each man lost in the other’s eyes as their legs intertwined. This was so comfortable. The most comfort either man had the chance to experience in a long time. Jim ran a hand down Jamie’s chest, along his ribs to his hip, and back up again. Jamie nuzzled his face into Jim’s hair and carded his hand through his golden curls. Jamie’s other hand caressed Jim’s back in slow circles. It was simply heavenly.

Jamie pressed a kiss to Jim’s forehead and Jim raised his lips to Jamie’s for a small sweet kiss. Heat was slowly building in Jim’s groin again as the kiss deepened and their tongues danced against one another. Jamie moaned, a deep baritone that lit sparks in Jim’s cock.

Jim moved higher along Jamie’s body and lay almost directly on top of the man, placing one of his legs between Jamie’s and pressing his erection into Jamie’s thigh. Jim moaned into Jamie’s mouth and ran his hands all over his arms and chest.

Pushing away any pretense of playing coy, Jim lifted his face from Jamie and stared at him for a moment before placing small kisses along his jawline toward his ear. Jamie reveled in the sensation. His breath caught as Jim reached his ear and kissed the shell of it softly. He could feel his erection pressing into Jim’s thigh and the lack of sufficient friction was beginning to drive him mad. He wanted to rut against him in the worst way.

Jim tongued his ear and Jamie’s hips thrust in response. The feeling was immediately delicious and Jamie soon established a rhythm in his gyrations. Jim joined him in the effort and for the longest time, neither man kissed the other. They just hovered over one another, grinding their hips together, their cocks digging into each other’s thighs, the bliss of the friction causing them to pant into each other’s mouths. Jim supported his weight with his hands on either side of Jamie’s head. Jamie clutched Jim’s hips as they moved together. All that existed for that moment was the sound of cloth moving in a slow rhythm and their stuttered breathing. Even the white noise of the rain outside was muted.

There were so many thoughts passing behind Jamie’s eyes and Jim longed to ask him about all of them. But how did you ask a man to tell him his thoughts when the thoughts were so unfamiliar, the sensations associated with those thoughts were so foreign, so new? Jim thought his eyes must contain the same questions and thoughts.

Jamie had never thought this scenario possible. It was insane, ridiculous and yet… here was this amazingly brave soldier, as good a man as any he had met in this king’s army, and he was seeking refuge in his arms, enjoying the feel of his hands at his back, his mouth on his own, and his hard cock against his body.

It wasn’t enough.

Slowly, Jim began to raise the undershirt Jamie was wearing, snaking one of his hands underneath to feel his skin. Jamie closed his eyes at the contact and Jim watched him tilt his head back. Dear God, was anything more beautiful?

Jim raised the shirt as high as it would go, moving slowly, allowing for time for the major to object. He never did. Jamie had the most perfectly pale skin. Jim impulsively leaned down, kissing at the breastbone and Jamie’s hips jerked reflexively, his breath stuttering and catching.

Jamie pulled at Jim’s undershirt as well and in one fluid motion, had it to his shoulders in seconds. Jim leaned back and took it off. Jamie removed his as well. Jim lowered himself slowly along Jamie’s chest, never losing eye contact. This was too important a moment for him to look away.

The skin-to-skin contact was almost too much to bear. The warmth alone was enough to make either man weep with relief. This was the comfort they dare not seek before; the moment of contact between two men of honor, desired but denied. Society, propriety, the law: all were forgotten as they behaved as their instincts dictated.

Jamie’s fingertips traced fire along Jim’s back. Jim ran his hands down Jamie’s bare arms and back up to his neck, caressing his collarbone and tracing his throat with feather-light touches.

Jamie leaned up and captured Jim’s mouth, grabbing his hips. Jim took this as a sign and swung his leg completely over Jamie, straddling him. Their cocks rubbed against one another for the first time and both men went breathless. Their kiss broke apart. Jamie’s heart was racing. A fine sheen of sweat appeared at Jim’s brow and he propped himself up and away from Jamie quickly. This was new territory.

Jim looked down between them at their hardened pricks and then back up at the major. “Jamie…,” he began. “This is…This is…”

Jamie took Jim’s face in his hands and said, “Jim… let go. It’ll be alright.” At this he could see Jim relax a bit. Jamie smiled and said, “We both need this. Come back to me.”

“Jamie…,” said Jim softly, “my Jamie…” and he leaned down and kissed him. Slowly and by degrees Jim’s full weight came back down on him. They rutted against each other slowly, the sensation amazing, but ultimately unfulfilling. There were too many layers of cloth in the way.

Jamie moved his hands back to Jim’s hips, but the dissatisfaction was too much, the ache in his cock to prominent. He slowly inched his hands to the front of Jim’s jodhpurs to unfasten them. Jim pulled back a bit, allowing him better access. Jim’s cock was heavy and fell against his pants, stretching the material out as his fly came open. Jamie opened his jodhpurs and his dick strained against his pants as well.

The small amount of freedom allowed their throbbing cocks was more than welcome. Jim continued to kiss Jamie as he lowered himself back onto his beautiful superior officer, grinding their thinly clothed cocks against one another once again and they groaned their pleasure into each other’s mouths.

Jamie slid an experimental hand down the back of Jim’s pants, caressing his buttocks and scooping underneath them to bring his undulating pelvis in harder contact with his throbbing manhood.

“Oh God, yes, Jamie,” said Jim. He was beyond caring what happened to them now. He was ready for Jamie to do anything to him. He never felt more safe in his arms. Jim kissed Jamie deeply and allowed his tongue to echo the thrusts of his hips. Jamie caressed and squeezed Jim’s arse in concert with the grinding by way of response, his huge hands massaging Jim’s skin in the most scandalous and completely comforting way possible. It was magnificent.

As Jamie’s hands continued to grasp for purchase along Jim’s arse, the front of Jim’s pants were beginning to strain against his dick. Jim ignored it for as long as he could, but eventually he stopped Jamie by breaking off from his mouth. “One moment,” he said, an apology in his eyes. He rolled off of Jamie, his back to the fire and slid off his jodhpurs and his pants. Jamie watched him for a split second before doing the same.

No words needed to be spoken here. They knew what they were getting themselves in for if they were ever found out. Hanging was just the beginning. Ruined military careers, family reputations destroyed and shamed; the disgrace would finish off what family members they had. Jim had a mother with a weak heart. The shock would kill her for sure. Jamie had his father’s lands to think of. He was to inherit now that his brother was dead. He wasn’t so sure what would happen if this was discovered and he was hanged. The pressure of this moment was immense.

Jamie shivered. Unwittingly, Jim was blocking the heat from the fire. Jim grabbed the second horse blanket and draped it over them both as he straddled Jamie’s hips once more. He propped himself over Jamie on all fours and took a moment to gaze upon this beautiful man.

Elegant and angled, he was long in the arms and legs, just as Jim was. Their pale skin practically glowed in what the firelight managed to kiss. Their erections had abated somewhat, but Jim felt his jerk awake once more at the prospect of laying directly on top of a naked Jamie and he felt his heart fill with purpose once he saw the look in Jamie’s eyes: sadness, loneliness, relief, and longing were trapped there in those multicolored crystalline orbs.

Jim thought of his mother so far away, the seclusion of this place, and the rain that cut them off from the rest of the world. This was here and now. And there was to be a battle tomorrow. A battle he might not survive. Jamie needed him. And Jim needed Jamie. It was worth the risk.

Jamie felt a drop of Jim’s precum fall near his throbbing prick and shivered. Slowly he reached up and caressed the sides of Jim’s chest. The man was arrestingly handsome and his golden curls lit by the firelight accentuated his angelic face. There must have been a look in Jamie’s eyes that caused Jim to look at him in the way he did. Jamie saw such tenderness of feeling from the other man… it was almost too much to bear.

They were to do battle tomorrow. It should be a toddle, but all it takes is one stray bullet. His father would never understand this. He wasn’t a military man; he was a farmer. He wouldn’t know what it was to feel so alone and have such pressure placed on one’s shoulders. So many men were to be under his direct command tomorrow. And war was no place for tenderness. It was no place for compassion or love, mercy or companionship. But here, in this place of solitude, one could seek solace in the arms of another without fear. One could be a human being one last time before all emotion fell away as was necessary in war.

Jamie reached a hand up to cup Jim’s face and welcomed him to lay upon him by placing a single chaste kiss to the man’s lips.

Outside the storm raged on, sounding out a reminder that battle was tomorrow. Today, however... there was peace.


	5. Comeradeship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jamie and Jim actually do something about this... situation.

Once when Jim was a small boy, he got the idea in his head to take a swim in the local river. His father had taught him how and it was a hot day, so ten-years-old and feeling very independent, he found a quiet remote spot where he and his father had often fished, stripped off all of his clothing and walked into the water. The bank of the stream was gradual and after a yard, dropped off sharply. He was immersed in such a delicious coolness he hadn’t words to express how he felt. It was a welcome relief to the heat of the day, to be sure, but it was more than that. It was a sense of freedom that he hadn’t known before. And it was a little risky too. The risk of being caught by his mother was obvious, but the additional risk of being caught by his mother when he was supposed to be mucking out the stables created a thrill in his heart. It made the bath even better.

Jim vaguely recalled this moment from his childhood as he dipped himself slowly onto Jamie. The risk here was infinitely greater, but more worthwhile than an idle dip in a stream. Instead of the delicious coolness of water surrounding his limbs, Jamie’s heat came up to greet him. The taste of his mouth, the touch of his skin, the firmness of his cock against his own throbbing hardness created a sensory overload for Jim. “Jesus,” he said, surprise and longing gracing his features as he gazed at Jamie.

Jamie was panting. He had never welcomed the feel of the weight of a man on top of him until this moment. His hands were suddenly everywhere along Jim’s body: carding through his hair, tracing along his collarbone and throat, skirting along his ribs and back, caressing his arse. Jamie grabbed Jim’s neck with one hand and smoothed his other on Jim’s arse as he tilted his head and blatantly sucked on Jim’s neck. Jim dropped his head and sighed into Jamie’s ear.

“Dear God, Jamie,” said Jim. And then, surprised at his own boldness, he added: “Please, Jamie. Please kiss me… anywhere… everywhere. Please.”

Jamie grunted his assent and moved his mouth lower to nip at Jim’s collarbone. The kisses he administered were enough to tease, but not leave any distinct markings. They couldn’t afford to make that kind of miscalculation.

He dipped his head down and captured one of Jim’s nipples, teasing it to harness with his teeth and making Jim hiss a breath of satisfaction. Once finished with one, Jamie moved to the other and repeated his actions, flicking, licking, and scraping his teeth along Jim’s nipple until it was rock hard and erect.

Jamie pulled his head up to witness the most beautiful sight: a debauched James Nicholls. His head was tilted back, his eyes closed; he looked for all the world like a rapturous angel. Jamie softly kissed his neck and ground his hips against Jim’s.

Their cocks flipped over one another as they loosely ground them together. Precum was leaking from both of them and Jamie’s stomach was slowly being coated in wet hot slickness. Jim propped himself up a bit, snaked a hand between them, and instinctively grabbed both of their pricks in one long-fingered hand. Both men uttered oaths as they slowly fucked Jim’s fist.

“Oh Jim,” said Jamie breathlessly, “this is… marvelous. I need this. I need you. Don’t stop. Please.”

 

~080~

 

The sun was setting. Pretty soon, they would be missed at the camp. They only had leave for the few hours they thought they would be gone. The violent suddenness of the storm outside merely delayed their return; it didn’t prevent it entirely. It was an excuse to spend more time away – and a flimsy excuse at that. Had nothing happened between them of such a personal and private nature it would have made things easier for them. But this was not the case.

Rain was rain. If it rained tomorrow, they wouldn't cancel the charge prepared on the Germans. Theirs was a trite ruse. And now that they were there, entwined in each other’s arms, their cocks dripping and slick together, the thunderstorm became more and more of a contrivance intended to cover for their time spent away. And the longer they stayed away, shirking their obvious duties – and the night before the charge! -- when it came time to report and account for their missing presence from the camp, could either man stand before his superiors and tell the truth with a solemn expression?

Were they deceivers by nature, their absence would be explained with a wave of a hand and a carefree tone. These men were not deceivers; they had not the guile, nor the gift. They were solid, true, and loyal to a fault. They would sooner impale themselves on German bayonets than betray their country, be disloyal to her king, or slacken in their duty to either.

And yet, these two men, good and true, were embracing each other in the most intimate manner, wrapped in horse blankets and resting on a bed of soft hay instead of shaking off their fear, donning their uniforms, and mounting up to ride back in the sopping wet and wind. They were not deceivers. They were being loyal – to one another. They were standing strong – for one another. This was a part of who they were the moment they signed on to join His Majesty’s Cavalry. The bond between them, the respect they had for one another was as strong as any in the King’s army. This was merely an extension of that bond, a growth from it.

Ah, but the time it was taking for them to express this care for one another… that might just be their undoing.

Jim and Jamie weren’t giving that a single thought, however. They were lost to their more base desires. They were beginning to crave one another’s touch in the most carnal way. Jim’s hand was providing just the right amount of pressure to both of their pricks and Jamie was close.

“More, Jim,” cried Jamie. “I want more… need to… I’m going to… Oh…” Clearly the major was at the brink of his endurance. Jim was close too, but he wanted Jamie to hang on for a bit longer.

Jim stopped stroking them and pulled gently but firmly at the base of Jamie’s cock, hoping that what worked for him in the past to stave off ejaculation would also work for him. He planned to kiss down Jamie’s torso, excited at the prospect of taking his nipples into his mouth. Jamie had a slightly different plan.

Impulsively, Jamie leaned up and captured Jim’s mouth again, slowly moving his tongue against Jim’s mouth, exploring it, feeling his teeth and the inside of his lips. Wrapping his arm around Jim’s waist, he turned the man over and after a moment or two, Jim was suddenly on the bottom and Jamie was pressing his weight down on his slender frame.

A thin sheen of sweat appeared on their bodies and it practically made them glow in the firelight. Jamie pulled off of Jim’s lower lip slowly, sucking it back in as he pulled away, teasing and worrying it with his teeth gently until it finally slipped from his grasp. Jim gasped at this. Where Jamie had learned such a thing was a bit of a mystery to him, but it delighted him just the same.

Jamie took a moment to look down between them. It was his cock’s turn to leak onto Jim’s abdomen and they both watched with fascination as a small peek of firelight showed him a glimmer of precum drip heavily off his head and mix with the golden hairs just above Jim’s cock. It was the most sensual thing either of them had ever seen. Jamie crawled down Jim’s body and buried his face in the crook of Jim’s hip, causing Jim to buck and elicited from him a moan of pleasure that startled the horses below.

Jamie moved his face to Jim’s curls, nuzzling his dick, inhaling the scent that was pure Jim, and rubbing his face in their mingled precum. It was glorious. Jamie’s hands rubbed soothing circles along the outside of Jim’s thighs. He inhaled Jim’s scent deeply and licked along the back of his cock in one smooth motion. He paused at the tip, tonguing the precum there at Jim’s slit and Jim became unhinged.

“Jesus! Jamie… please,” cried Jim, “Please put your mouth on me. Dear God, man. Don’t deny me this. Not now… please.”

Jamie took the base of Jim’s manhood in one hand and slowly placed his mouth around his tip, his tongue exploring this new piece of Jim carefully, tenderly. Becoming more accustomed to the feel and taste, and wanting more of both, Jamie took in more and more of Jim’s length, until practically all of him filled his mouth.

The hot wetness of Jamie’s mouth surrounding his prick was unbelievable. He wanted to buck his hips further into him, but knew that he shouldn’t. As Jamie slid more of him into his mouth, the urge became more difficult to fight, until his body finally came to a compromise of slow, methodical undulations that seemed to mollify his urge, but came nowhere close to satisfying it.

Jim chanced a glance downward at his superior officer’s ministrations and was undone. Jamie had discovered that Jim moaned deeply if he created a bit of suction as he pulled off and his cheeks hollowed with his efforts. Between that mouth with its perfect cupid’s bow and the hollowing of that amazing face, Jim couldn’t bear not participating himself. He had a thought: surely Jamie’s cock was being cruelly neglected at this moment. Perhaps he could help with that?

“Jamie,” said Jim, his voice deep with lust, “swing your body around and allow me the honor of fellating you as well. Please… love.”

Jamie raised his head at the word ‘love’. For a tense moment, they looked into each other’s eyes: Jim’s soft and pleading, Jamie’s curious and fascinated. Slowly, Jamie brought his body around and set his knees to either side of Jim’s head. Precum dripped down along Jamie’s collarbone, throat, and chin. Jamie’s head was completely uncovered and throbbing purple with blood. It wouldn’t be long for him to come.

Jim caught some of the precum on his tongue as it fell, tasting its salty bitterness for the first time. It was different, but not unpleasant and he licked softly at Jamie’s slit. His mouth back along Jim’s hardness, Jamie moaned with pleasure at this touch and Jim reacted to the vibration of that moan with an impulsive thrust of his hips.

“Sorry, love,” said Jim, the word coming easier to his lips. “Did I hurt you?”

Jamie pulled off Jim’s cock long enough to answer in the negative and then continued to suck along Jim’s dick, his mouth making the most lascivious wet sucking noises Jim had ever heard.

Gently, Jim placed his mouth around Jamie’s beautiful cock. He took him in deeply and was proud of how much of him he could take in. Jamie moaned again at the sensation and this time Jim was prepared for it. His hips only shuddered in response and he hummed against Jamie’s cock with pleasure.

Their hands gently caressed each other’s thighs, buttocks, and testicles as they both sucked and licked along shaft, frenulum, and slit, enjoying the soft slide of their mouths and the sensation of wet heat around their cocks. The slowness of their rhythm was soon abandoned as both men began to climax. As the pace built up, Jamie and Jim were determined to suck each other to completion, satisfying their need for this kind of closeness.

Jim felt his balls tighten and knew that he was on the verge. He massaged Jamie’s scrotum and detected the same tension. The moment was too perfect: the storm, the fire, the smell of the man surrounding him, the sense of each other’s heat, the feel of the slick slide of that pulsing cock in their throats, the sensation of the other’s mouth on their hardness. The sucking and bobbing became rushed and sloppy, the tension building up and up until…

Jamie came seconds before Jim, thrusting hot spurts of liquid down his throat with a stuttered cry. Jim swallowed deeply, reflexively and could bear no more. He came hard, pulsing what he knew were ribbons of seed into Jamie. He felt Jamie sucking at him, swallowing all he had given him, licking him clean.

Exhausted, Jamie switched positions and laid his head heavily on Jim’s chest. Jim made a feeble attempt to spread the blanket over their naked frames and, giving up, let his arm fall to the blanket. He wrapped one arm protectively about Jamie’s shoulders and nuzzled into his hair. The only thing that remained was the rain, howling wind, and their labored breathing which was slowly coming under control.

Neither man wanted to move; they were too lost in post-coital bliss. But each knew that they had to. They had to report back, and soon. Because after this moment, there would be hell to pay.


	6. The Charge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final result.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I borrowed heavily from the actual film for this chapter.
> 
> I own NOTHING of the film rights, etc. It is meant to be a scene-for-scene copy of the film with added poetic license from me.
> 
> ALSO: if you've not seen the film, the stage play, or read the book... SPOILER ALERT!! Consider yourself warned.

The aftermath of the storm was a welcome distraction on the ride back to the camp. The torrent and winds had died down considerably and left them with just the muddy road to contend with. They each avoided the overly-muddy places along the trail where the horses were sure to get stuck, keeping both horses at a walk. If the road weren’t in such a ruinous condition, they would have gone back to camp at a full gallop, but it was too great a risk for the horses. Better to be late and have a mount for tomorrow’s charge against the Huns, than to be a cavalry soldier on foot.

Neither man spoke the entire time after they had risen from their makeshift bed. They dressed, folded the blankets neatly, scattered the hay down to the floor of the barn and put out the fire. They replaced the whiskey bottle and blankets where they had found them, scaled down the ladder, tended to the horses, put on the rest of their outer garments, mounted up, and left.

A quarter-mile outside of the camp, Jim broke the silence: “I wish things were different.”

Jamie turned to him, but said nothing. Jim continued: “I wish we had more time,” He looked at Jamie pointedly. “I wish you could have met my mother, seen my town, known more about me.”

“They’ll be time for that,” said Jaime, “after the charge tomorrow. We’ll have lots of time. You can tell me of your home and history, and I can tell you of mine.”

“I wonder what you were like as a child,” said Jim, half to himself.

“Perspicacious,” Jamie said, “I used to tell everyone what I thought was true and sure enough… it was usually so. I had a great gift for predicting things.”

“And you never grew out of it?” asked Jim.

“No,” said Jamie with a sideways grin, “But I have learned to keep my mouth shut more than I used to.”

“Then I do believe that we will have plenty of time to learn about one another. And perhaps… stay in correspondence with one another after the war?” said Jim, hopefully. “And we will be happy, I think. Like in the story books… ever after.”

Jamie laughed at this romantic speech and blushed. “I shall look forward to that very much… love,” said Jamie softly.

They shared a fond look as the trail opened up and a guard shouted: “Who goes there?”

 

~080~

 

“Gentlemen,” began Major Jamie Stewart, “it is an honor to ride with you. Make the Kaiser rue the day he dared to cross swords with us. Let every man make himself, his king, his country, and his fallen comrades proud. Be brave! Fear God! Honor the king!”

“Honor the king!” the men echoed.

They mounted the horses in the tall grasses just beside the German encampment. They were so quiet as to be imperceptible to the Germans who were going about their morning tasks. Major Jamie Stewart had given the order that there was to be no metal on their mounts or their persons to glint in the sun. The element of surprise was paramount.

Joey was nervous. Captain Jim Nichols spoke calmly to him in a soft voice, praying that he wouldn’t give away their position with an errant whinny from the steed.

As they drew their swords, Nicholls murmured to Charlie and Jamie: “Good luck, my friends.”

The charge happened gradually, the horses building up speed. By the time the word ‘CHARGE!’ was shouted, every man had his horse at full gallop. The sound was thunderous.

The encampment was overrun with little resistance and all Jim could do was grin inwardly as he kept the charge going. He and Jim would have so much time to –

Guns. The sound of machine guns came to his ears. There was no time. There would never be time. Men fell away from their mounts in front of him, dropping like flies. And then, Jim was next.

The last image that crossed Jim’s mind was Jamie’s smile in the firelight… 

 

~080~

 

Topthorn made the leap past the guns, his rider still alive. The major looked about in shock and confusion. This was not the way it was meant to go. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They fooled us!

He turned Topthorn about and headed back, but the Germans had him cut off at every turn. He was surrounded. Suddenly, one of them in heavy-accented English came striding up and said, “What? Did you think that a garrison on open ground would go UNDEFENDED?! Look at yourself! Who do you think you are?”

Jamie searched the surrounding area, taking stock of all the loss of life. Off in the distance, he saw a familiar horse being wrangled by Germans. It had no rider.

Jamie drove his sword into the ground with vicious bitterness.

There would be no ever after.


End file.
